On October 3, 2022, MPTC Fond du Lac Medical Assistant students visited Boys and Girls Club of Fond du Lac kids for a fun, interactive Dream Big event.
The Dream Big project started in 2017 with Fond du Lac, Tri-County Area and Washington County Boys and Girls Club teens learning more about the over 100 careers available through MPTC. Each semester, Moraine Park student volunteers showcase their programs and make a true community impact for area teens to get excited about career choices!
MPTC Medical Assistant Student Kalli Behling said, “Working with The Boys and Girls Club was such an amazing experience. The Dream Big program allowed us to share our college experience with the younger generation. They were super interested in what we were learning and had a blast with the hands-on portion of our day. It was such an incredible feeling to see how excited they were to do blood pressures with us and use stethoscopes. I was once a Boy’s and Girl’s Club member, so coming back as one of the mentors was a very heart-warming experience. We really enjoyed working with all of the kids.”
Boys and Girls Club of Fond du Lac Director of Teen Services Dillon Wiese said, “Our kids love learning from Moraine Park students! We are always looking for opportunities to inspire our youth and encourage learning about future careers. Thank you MPTC!”
Pictured above: President Bonnie Baerwald and Student Community Impact Coordinator Anne Lemke present Mina Vang-Xiong with her President’s Award.
Moraine Park Technical College is committed to community engagement and student success. The College supports these commitments through the opportunity for students to participate in student community impact and apply their classroom knowledge to an applicable, real-world environment. We encourage students to participate in our community impact awards program where students can track their service-learning or volunteer hours, submit their reflections, and earn a Bronze Award for 25 hours, Silver Award for 50 hours,Gold Award for 100 hours, and President’s Award for 200 hours!
In the Spring, 2022 semester, 29 students earned awards and logged over 1,600 hours of service! Congratulations to our Spring, 2022 award winners!
Presidents Award
Two graduating students earned the President’s Award for over 200 hours of service each in their time at MPTC! The students are Alaska Burroughs – Marketing and Social Media; and Mina Vang-Xiong – IT Technical Support and Network Specialist. MPTC President Bonnie Baerwald celebrated with and congratulated each student, stating: “I’m extremely proud of the accomplishments of Mina and Alaska. Each has their own unique story and came to Moraine Park Technical College to explore and create new career opportunities. In addition to their work and college obligations, their volunteer efforts exemplify the college values of continuous improvement, collaboration, and impactful learning. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them!”
President Bonnie Baerwald and Student Community Impact Coordinator Anne Lemke present Alaska Burroughs with her President’s award.
Gold Award
Completing 100-199 hours of service-learning or volunteering.
Burroughs, Alaska – Marketing and Social Media
Dziuba, Austin – Marketing and Social Media
Vang-Xiong, Mina – IT Technical Support and Network Specialist
Silver Award
Completing 50-99 hours of service-learning or volunteering.
Burroughs, Alaska – Marketing and Social Media
Dziuba, Austin – Marketing and Social Media
Hackett, Richard – Leadership Development
Rogers, Dorothy – Paralegal
Smith, Brooke – Medical Assistant
Vang-Xiong, Mina – IT Technical Support and Network Specialist
Student Community Impact Coordinator Anne Lemke presents Silver and Gold Awards to Mina Vang-Xiong.Richard Hackett receives Bronze and Silver Awards.
Bronze Award
Completing 25-49 hours of service-learning or volunteering.
Bille, Ellen – Medical Assistant
Brantmeier, Samantha – Medical Assistant
Burroughs, Alaska – Marketing and Social Media
Carbajal, Yaneli – Medical Assistant
Corona, Ruby – Medical Assistant
Davis, Jada – Medical Assistant
Detert, Jozee – Medical Assistant
Devries, Kelly, Medical Assistant
Dziuba, Austin – Marketing and Social Media
Goldbach, Courtney – Medical Assistant
Hackett, Richard – Leadership Development
Jetzer, Jennifer – Medical Assistant
Krause, Michael – Leadership Development
Lear, Jamie – Medical Assistant
May, Chantel – Medical Assistant
Neitzel, Amanda – Medical Assistant
Nieman, Emily – Medical Assistant
Nieman, Olivia – Medical Assistant
Olson, Kara – Leadership Development
Peplinski, Samantha – Medical Assistant
Race, Miranda – Medical Assistant
Roecker, Kayla – Medical Assistant
Schick, Hailey – Medical Assistant
Smith, Brooke – Medical Assistant
Swedowski, Stephanie – Medical Assistant
Ward, Sydney – Medical Assistant
Wendt, Madelynn – Medical Assistant
Kara Kennedy receives Bronze Award.Fond du Lac Medical Assistant Student Award Winners from left to right: Stephanie Swedowski, Brooke Smith, Jenny Jetzer, Instructor Tiffany Laabs, Chantel May, Hailey Schick, Yaneli Carbajal, Samantha Brantmeier, Jada Davis, Ruby Corona, and Jamie Lear. Not Pictured: Sydney WardBeaver Dam Medical Assistant Award Winners from Left to Right Back Row: Instructor Brianna Matheson, Ellen Billie, Amanda Neitzel, Jozee Detert, Sam Peplinski. Front Row: Maddy Wendt, Emily Nieman, Olivia Nieman, Kelly DeVries, Courtney Goldbach, Kayla Roecker
Many students come to the Student Success Center at MPTC to get help with their course work, but sometimes our programs partner and instructors will go to the students. Two examples are found in the Medical Assistant and Auto programs. Past partnerships have included working with Culinary Arts, CNC, Welding, and CNA classes.
Bob Mengert has assisted in the Auto courses for several years, and is right in the classroom to help students understand the math and reading skills needed to succeed in those programs. Similarly, Jeani Slaymaker works with students in the Medical Assistant program.
Bob Mengert, Adult Education Instructor
Bob holds classes for any auto students who need skill-building, primarily in math and reading skills, and will tailor the lessons to specific needs for that program. He doesn’t just teach general math lessons, but math skills needed when working in the field of Auto Mechanics. Bob also assists in the labs, where instructors in the program make good use of and appreciate his help!
Jeani does similar work with students in the Medical Assistant program, teaching necessary reading and math skills needed for Pharmacology, Human Body, and other courses. She has created hands-on review materials to make the lessons come alive for students, including the “human game board” and Kahoots quizzes. She also meets virtually with students to review instructor lectures and help with students’ notes and comprehension.
Jeani Slaymaker, Adult Education Instructor
Many students have benefited from Jeani’s help. According to MA instructors, Brianna Matheson and Erika Herriges, Jeani “…is an asset to the program.” She “… cares deeply for the students, utilizes creative study techniques.” Brianna adds, “Students who work with Jeani tend to achieve higher test scores and retain knowledge longer than students who don’t.”
The Student Success Center instructors strive to assist students in their college courses. Whether you come to us, or we come to you, our aim is the same – your success!
Medical Assistant Fall, 2020 Award Winners. Back row from left: Corrine Chalker, Megan Andrew, Kelly Pike, Courtney Dickow, Tanya Johnson, Allexis Wegner, Megan Ryals, Rachael Wagner, Whitney Liegl, Elsa Rojas. Front row from left: Cindy Krueger, Cathryn Kuslits, Alexis Erickson
Moraine Park Technical College is committed to community engagement and student success. The College supports these commitments through the opportunity for students to participate in student community impact and apply their classroom knowledge to an applicable, real world environment.
MPTC encourages students to participate in our community impact awards program where students can track their service learning or volunteer hours, submit their reflections, and earn a Bronze Award for 25 hours, Silver Award for 50 hours,Gold Award for 100 hours, or Presidents Award for 200 hours!
In the 2020 fall semester, despite all the Covid-19 challenges, 16 students earned awards and logged over 900 hours of service!
Congratulations to our Fall, 2020 award winners!
Bronze Award Winners
Completing 25-49 hours of service learning or volunteering.
Completing 100-199 hours of service learning or volunteering.
Barbara Turner, Leadership Development
President’s Award Winner
Completing 200+ hours of service learning or volunteering.
Barbara Turner, Leadership Development
Our amazing President’s Award winner, Barbara Turner! Barbara volunteered over 200 hours since Spring of 2020. Most of her hours were spent at Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce. More to come on Barbara’s award in January! Way to go Barbara!
“Volunteering with the Red Cross for my service learning project has been an amazing experience. Therapeutic communication really came in handy talking with everyone. Every shift I worked I was with a different crew and did things a little different, but it was easy to adjust. They all were so much fun to work with but honestly the best lead I had was Julie. Julie is a Certified Medical Assistant that left a clinic job to join the Red Cross, it was amazing talking with her and once the crew learned that I was a MA student they were showing me different tips and tricks.”
“They were really cool with letting me watch how they start the venipunctures and I learned a different way to mark that I think will be helpful with starting venipunctures in class. It really was a learning experience to feel veins on different people and how some are small and hard to find, and some are very easy. I learned so much from this experience that I will take into class and the work field.” Corinne Chalker, Medical Assistant Student
“Volunteers are the heart and soul of nearly everything that happens at the American Red Cross. In their volunteer roles, Corrine, Megan and Whitney are also the spirit at our blood drives,” said Amber Carey, Volunteer Partnership and Community Outreach Specialist at the Red Cross for Southeast Wisconsin. “They’re the smiling faces which welcome donors of life-saving blood, making sure donors are at ease every step of the way. We’re grateful for their important volunteer service – especially during a pandemic – and know that their impact has been felt by dozens of blood donors in our community.”
Amber Carey, Volunteer Partnership and Community Outreach, American Red Cross, 2600 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53233, 414.335.7114
Whitney Liegl, MPTC MA Student Red Cross VolunteerMegan Andrew, MPTC MA Student Red Cross Volunteer
Congratulations Corrine and Megan on your Bronze and Silver Student Community Impact Awards! Congratulations Whitney on your Bronze Award!
Fifteen soon-to-be Medical Assistant graduates participated in virtual employment event to interact with area healthcare employers. Representatives from Advocate Aurora Health, Ascension WI, Froedert, SSM Agnesian, SSM Health, UW Health, and Wildwood Family clinic participated in the event. While the employment event is not new to the MA program, holding this in a virtual environment was a new experience for all.
Moraine Park Technical College’s Associate Dean of Health, Ben McKenzie shared welcoming remarks with the group stating the importance of staying current with interviewing skills. He emphasized using the interview process to determine if the organization is a good fit for you.
Certified Medical Assistant (AAMA), Katie Blessing, offered tips to stay engaged and grow in the MA field. She recommended to look for networking opportunities for continuity of care. Katie stated to treat your practicum experience like a job interview. Demonstrate that you want to be there: be willing, able and ready to help every day! In addition, Katie suggested to look at the total package offered by the employer, not just the starting pay when you are starting out as a Medical Assistant.
Medical Assistant students received Service Learning Recognition Awards for their volunteer work this past year from Anne Lemke, Student Community Impact Coordinator.
Employers addressed student questions during the Employee Panel portion of the event. Some of the employers reinforced sharing your passion and drive to be an MA during the interview. Important qualities to employers include being upbeat, flexible, willing to learn, being a team player, soft skills, and communication skills. Employers look to complement their current team with new hires; they want to make sure that their organization is the right fit for the prospective employee. Each employer shared what sets their organization apart from the other employers.
Employers conducted Mock Interviews with the students and provided feedback on their resumes.
Sarah Chojnacki, Medical Assistant Program Director coordinated and facilitated the event. Lisa Ferguson, Careers Instructor assisted with facilitation.
Moraine Park Careers Instructors can offer assistance with: Resumes, Cover Letters, Interviewing, Job Search, Career Fit and so much more!
Contact us at: www.morainepark.edu/careers
Fond du Lac | 920-924-3244 | Lisa Ferguson | lferguson@morainepark.edu
West Bend | 262-335-5773 | Rhonda Roehrig | rroehrig2@morainepark.edu
Allexis Wegner, MPTC MA Student volunteering at the Community Blood Center
“I did all my service learning hours at the Community Blood Center. This was a great experience for me as I learned quite a bit on phlebotomy, taking temperatures, explaining paperwork, and talking to patients. I also learned about watching for reactions as I helped a patient get a snack and/or drink after giving blood. These will all help me with my practicum site in so many ways.”
This experience has given me tips on how to perform skills and get me out of my comfort zone when talking or explaining to someone about something. I am now more comfortable with taking temperatures and feel more confident as I learn venipuncture. Everyone in the blood drive was very nice and helpful when I needed assistance. This experience has also helped me get ready for practicum because I have to be patient with people and that sometimes I have to be up early to make it on time for the event! My goals for practicum are to be the best I can be by being myself and giving the best care possible. I feel better after having service learning hours because I am now more confident and ready for Medical Assistant practicum to start.” Allexis Wegner, MPTC Medical Assistant Student
“Your students have been wonderful, thank YOU!”
Heather Du Vall, MNM | Manager, Volunteer Program 4406 W. Spencer St. | Appleton, WI 54914 (800) 280-4102
Courtney Dickow, Medical Assistant Student, volunteering for ASTOP crisis line.
“ASTOP has been an amazing organization to volunteer for my service learning project. They are very flexible and do not require a certain amount of hours. I really like that I am able to do the crisis line from home. My favorite part of this volunteer opportunity was the training. The training was about 9 hours in total. I learned so much about sexual assault. It was also really interesting learning about different kinds of grounding exercises. These are very important to use during a crisis call. Grounding exercises really help a person in crisis calm down.”
“Another area that I was trained in was patient advocacy. When learning about patient advocacy I learned a lot about what happens at the hospital for a sexual assault victim. I think this volunteer opportunity will greatly benefit me as a future medical assistant. It has taught me how to speak to assault victims. It has also taught me even more about confidentiality. ASTOPS confidentiality is actually even more strict than HIPAA, which I found very interesting. I now know a lot more about sexual abuse and how to talk to victims. I also now have a resource that I can offer to patients if they are a victim of sexual abuse. I plan to continue to volunteer for ASTOP for a very long time. I think they are an amazing organization and a great benefit to the FDL community.” Courtney Dickow, MPTC Medical Assistant Student
“Courtney, thank you for all that you do for ASTOP. We would not be able to maintain a 24-hour advocacy and crisis line response without volunteers like you. It’s reassuring to hear how your volunteer training has helped prepare you for your chosen career field. We appreciate you!” Nicole Krause, Executive Director, ASTOP, Inc.
Moraine Park Technical College Medical Assistant Program is excited to announce scheduling changes to our West Bend Cohort model.
Students have asked for additional options and we listened. Yes we hear you!! The improved cohort model will have the same great characteristics of students moving through the entire program at the same pace, with the same group, and at the same great location. The big change is…….wait for it…..
The in-class commitment is now 2 days a week instead of 3!
Wait,
what? How did you remove an entire day from the program?
Great question! We will now be incorporating an online course into each semester to allow students flexibility in completing their coursework. The previous schedule had students coming to campus every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and while we know you all love seeing your fellow classmates and instructor three times a week, we also wanted to allow you to have more time for balance in your work, school and family life.
The new schedule will have you in class every Monday and Wednesday. Did we forget to mention the updates to our classroom, including more equipment and mock exam rooms? You need to check it out!
Our new schedule also helps to better align our courses to our program guidelines. You will be enrolled in courses where the content relates to each other at the same time. This allows for more comprehensive learning! I mean if you are learning about how the Digestive System works in Human Body it would be helpful to be learning the terminology in Medical Terminology in the same week, right?
Concerned about online learning? Rest assured that your time in class will allow for opportunities to receive additional resources and assistance with the completion of any online requirements. Your qualified instructors have taught it all and can offer assistance in any program course! We know now, more than ever, the importance of having qualified healthcare professionals in our community. The need to provide quality care will never change.
So, now is great of time as any to explore a career in healthcare and look into becoming a Medical Assistant.
We cannot wait to have you join us! Still have more questions? Please feel free to reach out!
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